Soldier Tendencies
by Writer'sBlocking
Summary: Once a soldier, always a soldier. When returning from war, it's known that no one is the same. This is no exception for one - even after years of being stuck in a forest with a stupid man trying to steal his house. Only, things start to take a bumpy turn when Sam and Dean Winchester show up in the forest to save him from some man-eating rubber. I own the cover photo, T for gore
1. Chapter 1: World of War

Part 1: World of War

A man, a young lieutenant in a world full of war, is suddenly welcomed with bright trees and a red hue of surroundings. Nothing makes sense. The last thing he could remember was relaxing during the rare, and unpleasant, mealtime everyone was given. And then he could remember people dropping like flies, blisters on their skin and their faces flushed red. He remembered everyone panicking, rushing to put on their gas masks before the deadly air killed them off. He can remember being the first one to put it on, his years of training making it an easy reflex. And then he thought long and hard, snippets of the event scrambling through his mind. Until one stuck as if caught on a fly trap. A young man, maybe 18, was fumbling around with his pouch that was given to every soldier. He could tell he was a new recruit, most likely a messenger. Yet, the teen didn't seem to have his mask. He watched the kid panic, eyes meeting through the fog and something possessed him to march toward the kid. The young man flinched back, trying to hold his breath and plug his nose. Until the man reached him, yanked his own mask off after taking a huge breath of air, and placed it on the young man's head. The soldier jumped, staring into his eyes. He nodded respectfully to the teen before grabbing his gun and walking towards the edge of his troop's trench.

"Soldier, where's your mask!?" He heard his superior yell at him through the haze. He glanced at the lieutenant but continued his journey, his oxygen running low. He stepped on the pile of dry dirt to make him tall enough to reach over the trench with his gun. Then he fired all of his rounds at the enemy making them drop almost as fast as his team did. Everyone was watching and yelling at him, and yet they all pitched in and started firing rapidly. Finally, the small platoon was obliterated. Clearly, they were depending on the gas to wipe everyone out. America wins again.

He felt light-headed and before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth and gasped in huge gulps of the toxic air. Blisters appeared across his body, his vision became weak and everything felt as if it was burning. He collapsed, few soldiers caring as this was the everyday thing now. However, he could remember the very same teen he gave his gas mask to, drop down next to him. The teen tried to give him back the mask but he held up a hand and shook his head. He saw a future for this boy, one better than the army could provide, and he wanted the kid to see it through. Slowly, the man lost all feeling of his body before everything went dark with an echoing ring surrounding him.

Sebastian wakes from his referee by a rustle in the bushes. He looks behind him, his hands darting to the different weapons strapped on his person. Instinct kicks in as he slowly backs away and analyzes his surroundings. Personal experience taught him to never walk towards something that is causing suspicion. He watches the bush closely until another sound catches his attention. A scream. He spins around, searching for the source of the sound. However, that left his back turned to the bush. Something leaps out at him, clawing into his back from behind. He grunts before painfully flipping over, causing the beast to let go of him. Before he can react, the beast grabs his ankle and starts to drag him across the forest floor.

Why was he in the forest, again? Oh, yes, another blackout. He has those repeatedly- a result of fighting in a war for fifteen years, training for another nineteen before he was severely injured. He still has the scars and the signs of disgusting blisters covering his body. He can never sit still, and many times he blacks out- watching his past as his body moves without permission. He curses himself. Even with all that time in the army, he can't even keep his guard up long enough to avoid these things. So, instead, he reaches for the hidden gun in the back of his jeans. He never goes anywhere without it, even subconsciously at this point. He takes a minute to aim, though he isn't sure what spot would count as a weakness on the strange creature. It has green skin and orge-like features, including white eyes and a huge snarly face with sharp teeth.

So, going for a guess, he shoots it in the eyes. The creature gives off a nasty snarl, letting go of his leg and rubbing at its eyes. He can tell it doesn't do any real damage, unsurprisingly, and so he quickly leaps up and starts running away, ignoring the flaring pain in his ankle and the blood pouring from his back. He's endured much worse before. He barely gets five feet in before the creature comes leaping back. He does his best to avoid it, leaping over its green hands and ducking when it tries to tackle him. That spares him enough time. Someone clearly heard his yells as another shot is aimed at the beast, a shot that hadn't belonged to his gun. He does not deem it necessary to look at his new companion or the beast and just continues to sprint through the trees. Until a man latches onto his arm and starts pulling him in a different direction. Sebastian automatically yanks his arm out of the stranger's grasp and as the man turns to argue with him, the soldier continues to run in the same direction. Sebastian knows he can't fight that thing alone, he isn't about to abandon the only person available to give him assistance.

Finally, the stranger catches up with him. He leads Sebastian to a camping site that's destroyed, however, there are three more people sitting around. The tallest man runs towards the two, going to grab Sebastian's shoulder to help him walk, but he shoves the man off as well. He could handle himself with that much. The tall man looked to the one that was with the soldier when he went running, and Sebastian can tell the man was asking a question. They must be brothers. The only time Sebastian's seen that connection is with certain siblings and, very rarely, the best of friends. He continues to ignore everyone, though, and instead decides to plop down on a random log, still in the 'magical circle'. He rips off his boot, looking at the damage done to his ankle. He can't see his back nor reach out to fix it at the moment. Everyone's watching him but he continues to analyze the wound. It has five gnarly slashes where the beast tried to grab him and a large bruise. He can tell it was going to swell after running on it, he's surprised that it isn't already swollen.


	2. Chapter 2: Time to Run

**Part 2: Time to Run**

Sebastian rips off a piece of his shirt, wrapping the nearly clean cloth around his wound. He lets out a quiet grunt as he ties it off before letting out a sigh and leaning back. When it continues to be silent, he slides down the log, careful of his wounds, and lays against it on the floor instead. In his new position, he examines the people standing around him.

The only girl on the sight has short dark brown hair and pale skin. She's wearing basic tan hiking shorts and a t-shirt that is covered with a grey hiking jacket. Her brown eyes held concern as she examines the destroyed campsite. One of the other boys, probably the youngest one, has the same dark brown hair that's cut short. He's wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved brown shirt with a few accessories adorning his person. The man that had steered Sebastian to the campsite has short auburn hair with a scraggly beard. He's wearing simple jeans with a blue button-up shirt and a brown coat. The last man is the tallest, besides the soldier, and he has brown hair that reaches his shoulders. He's wearing jeans and a tan coat over his shirt. He's skimming through some rugged book while sitting on the ground. His brother, the soldier assumes, is looking at markings on a tree. Sebastian can tell that the same creature had clawed at the tree.

The soldier sighs tiredly, resting his head on the log and closing his eyes. He listens as the girl starts up a conversation, opening his eyes enough to see the interaction.

"I don't… I mean, these types of things - they aren't supposed to be real."

The boy at the tree turns to look at her, face serious as he says, "I wish I could tell you differently." He walks towards her and sits down in front of her.

The girl continues, a faraway look in her eyes. "How do we know it's not out there, watching us?"

"We don't." The man picks up a stick, looking towards the forest as the girl looks back at him. Seeing her look, he continues, "But we're safe for now."

"How do you know about this stuff?"

The man stares at her for a moment before vaguely explaining, "It kind of runs in the family." He gives her a short-lived crooked smile before walking away. She watches him leave before making eye-contact with the soldier. He simply gives her a formal head nod, as he was taught, and then looks back at the boys that start to talk.

"Hey."

When the girl hears the second boy's voice, she gets off the ground as long as the last boy, who's silent the entire time the soldier was present. The prior continues relaxing on the ground, enjoying the sweet moments of relief from his ankle, though he isn't enjoying the pain in his back.

"So, we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one… want to kill this evil son of a bitch," the tallest brother said, looking at everyone around the camp. He spares the soldier a glance, pausing with a tilt of the head and his eyes squinting. The soldier ignores the gesture and gives the man a nod before looking away.

"Well, hell, you know I'm in."

"Wendigo is a cree Indian word. It means 'evil that devours'."

"They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man, sometimes an Indian or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter."

"How's a man turn into one of those things?"

"Well, it's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help- becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."

"Well, that's slightly disturbing," the soldier pipes in, eyes still connected to the sky. Everyone pauses for a moment, staring at him before the youngest boy cuts in.

"Like the Donner Party."

"That's right. Culture's all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities - speed, strength, immortality."

"If you eat enough of it, over the years, you become this less-than-human thing. You're always hungry."

"So, if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?"

"You're not gonna like it."

"Tell me."

"More than anything, a Windigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time. When it's awake, it keeps its victims alive. It stores them so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. And we," the soldier looks over in time to see the man nod to his taller brother before he continues, "got to track it back there."

"And then how do we stop it?"

The soldier looks at the woman with raised eyebrows. He understands the need to help a family member but she doesn't even know what the thing looks like, not including that she's putting her younger brother in more danger than he's already in.

"Well, guns are useless - so are knives."

The soldier can't help the scoff that escapes his throat. When everyone looks over at him, he raises his shoulders and lazily comments, "I hadn't noticed," and wiggles his ankle for good measure. The youngest looks at him with red eyes, on the brink of tears. Sebastian knows the kid is terrified.

"So, basically - we gotta torch this sucker." The oldest man holds up his homemade flamethrower. The soldier simply sighs once more.

Everyone gets up and starts getting ready to leave the camp. The soldier slowly lifts himself, breathing through his nose to relieve some pain. The man with the longest hair walks towards the soldier in worry.

"Hey, hey, you shouldn't be standing."

This ends up catching everyone's attention as they watch him stand up straight, foot on the ground even as blood starts to leak through the homemade bandage. No one notices the blood leaking from his back, which is fine. He ignores them, walking forward with only a slight limp to join the group.

"Hey, he's right. You're in no condition to fight," the eldest pipes up.

"Oh, you don't know what it takes to make me skip out on a mission. I'm going," the soldier states, walking past the man trying to grab him.

The eldest just sighs, "Alright, stay in a group. Sammy, you're the caboose."

And like that, everyone marches out of the protective circle. He's only one ahead of 'Sammy' with the youngest boy standing in front of him.

Time passes quickly, and everyone is still wandering around the forest. At some point, Sammy goes ahead of the group to scout.

"Dean," Sammy's voice rings out. The oldest man, apparently Dean, runs up to him.

"What is it?"

Sammy looks up at the trees, which have claw marks imprinted on them, blood leaking from the marks.

"You know, I was thinking that those claw prints, so clear and distinct… they were almost too easy to follow." Sammy gives a dark chuckle as he searches around the trees, eyes full of suspicion. He's whispering to his brother, both trying to keep everyone from panicking more than they already are. The soldier, despite their efforts, hears them effortlessly. He too searches the forest. He can understand where the man is coming from. The claws are so obvious, it's honestly stupid that didn't appear to him sooner. He fought in the war, he should be able to tell when he is walking into a trap.


	3. Chapter 3: Dessert Time

**Part 3: Dessert Time**

Growling suddenly erupts around everyone, Sammy and Dean spinning around to search for the sound. The soldier slowly reaches for his gun. He's aware it won't cause any damage, but it's a good distraction. For five seconds. Another growl leads him to see a creature run through the bushes. He slowly backs up, moving closer to the youngest boy in the group. He's always had the need to protect the ones younger than him, though that's everyone in the small group. However, this boy is the complete youngest and has no idea how to defend himself. And by protecting him, the soldier protects the boy's sister, whom he's sticking near to. The creature continues to speed through the bushes, giving off inhuman screams and moans.

The soldier turns around as the girl gives off a screech, rushing forward as a dead body falls from the tree she's standing under. As Dean checks for a pulse on the clearly dead man and Sam rushes out to pick up the fallen woman, the soldier hovers near the boy.

"His neck is broken," Dean shares.

More growling erupts. Dean stands up and starts pushing everyone back to the camp repeating 'Run!' and 'Go!'. As everyone took off in a run, Sebastian sticks close to the kid. A good thing too, because he trips over a root, face planting in the dirt. Sebastian runs to the boy, helping him stand as the growling gets closer. Sammy comes over to help get the boy back to a run. Further away they hear the girl screaming until it suddenly gets quiet.

"Haley!"

When they reach the last place they heard the scream, Sammy picks up the homemade flamethrower that Dean had. He starts to search the woods in a panic, yelling out his brother's name.

"If it keeps its victims alive, why would it kill Roy?"

The small group left from the original five were walking through the words, trying even harder to find the recently captured teammates. It's the kid who speaks up as the soldier limps a little behind the group. No matter, he's still keeping up with them. And despite the worrying looks that Sammy throws his way, Sebastian refuses to stop and take a rest at the cost of slowing them down.

"Honestly? I think because Roy shot at it, he pissed it off."

"Oh, well, I'm screwed," the soldier chuckles at the thought. He shot that guy right in the eyeball.

"What'd you do?" The young boy asks.

"Well, I shot the damn thing in the eye. Don't regret it, either. The damn thing tried to tear my ankle off after shredding my back," he replies half-heartedly, not really paying attention.

"Oh," the boy suddenly stops to bend down. He found something lying in the dirt. When the soldier takes a closer look it seems to be colorful little candies. "They went this way."

Sammy turns to look at him. He jogs up to see what the boy is holding, the latter standing up to hand it over.

Sammy chuckles and whispers, "It's better than bread crumbs." Sammy tosses it aside, looking at the two with a smile. The boy smiles back before following the trail of candy. The soldier quietly follows behind them.

Eventually, the candy trail leads to an abandoned warehouse that has mold and rust growing all over it. The door has a warning sign on it. Sammy looks back at the soldier and the boy, shrugging as he slowly makes his way inside the dark house. The boy enters as well, looking back at the soldier. Sebastian gives the kid a reassuring nod as he follows closely behind him. They walk next to each other on the large rails, only one having a flashlight in hand. It illuminates the muddy walls and the long tunnel ahead.

Growling suddenly sounds within the tunnel. Sammy acts quickly and forces everyone closer to the wall as he turns off the flashlight. The growling gets closer and closer as the sound of water dripping echoes eerily. As the soldier peers closer, he can see the outline of the monster walking along the railways. Sammy reaches over and smacks a hand against the boy's mouth before he can make any noise that will alert the beast. The soldier hugs his body closer to the wall, steading his breath so he doesn't capture the monster's attention. Sammy quickly but smoothly moves into a separate tunnel once the Wendigo is far enough away. Everyone follows his example, the journey continuing through there.

Suddenly, as the boy steps forward, the sound of wood cracking fills the air. The soldier acts quickly and grabs the boy's arm, shoving him out of the way as the floor caves. Wood falls to the ground below and Sebastian's body follows them down. He's the first to fall and he quickly uses his body to stop the others from tumbling too far down the hill. His ankle is on fire and his body is sore and dirty, not that that's not a normal occurrence for him. Everyone's breathing heavily as they look around the unknown area.

He hears a quiet cough further up one of the halls and Sammy does as well, as he starts to stand up and stare down that hall. When he walks over, the soldier looks to see both Dean and Haley hanging from the wall, dirty and passed out. The boy looks up, taking a moment before he staggers to his feet and rushes to his sister. The soldier just continues to sit on the dirty floor, taking time to himself as the family members rejoice in finding one another.

"Wake up," the boy shakily commands as he holds his sister's face.

"Dean," Sammy shakes his brother, forcing him awake. "Hey, you okay?"

"Ugh, yeah," Dean moans tiredly. He shakes his head a little.

"Haley. Wake up," the boy continues to talk to his unconscious sister.

Sam works on getting his brother down from his position, and the soldier slowly staggers up to the group to help the kid get his sister down. He gently sets her down on the floor, moving back when he's done to let the kid talk to his sister, who woke up when the soldier was placing her on the floor. He watches as Sammy, much less gently, puts his brother on the floor next to Haley. Dean gives a painful groan as his back hits the rock wall.

"You sure you're alright?" Sammy asks. The soldier smiles the usual crooked smile and shakes his head. That boy is so clumsy and rough.

Dean doesn't mention it and moves on. "Yeah, yeah. Where is it?"

"It's gone for now."

The soldier suddenly notices something behind him. As he turns around, he jumps only a tad as he sees a boy's figure in front of him. The boy's hanging just like Dean and Haley were moments before but his condition is much worse. The soldier hurries over to pick him up. He sets the boy on the floor as Haley and her brother start to walk over. He can hear Haley crying as she walks towards the boy. The soldier's too busy checking for a pulse to be bothered by the others' presence.

"Tommy," the girl's broken voice pangs at his heartstring. She goes up to touch his face, probably thinking the kid's dead, which he isn't. She learns that as Tommy suddenly gasps awake to her touch. She yelps and leans back, the soldier smirks at her surprise and Dean's uncomfortable shifting that he noticed.

The boy smiles tiredly as he looks up at his sister, "Haley." Then his eyes travel to the little boy. "Ben."

"It's okay, we're gonna get you home," Haley assures him.

The soldier watches as Dean painfully staggers to his feet with something in his hands. He suddenly calls out to the group, "Check it out! Flare guns." He cockily holds them up, smirking at his mini audience.

Sammy simply shakes his head and says, "That'll work," before he chuckles with a smile towards his beaten brother. The soldier just shakes his head once more. He'll never get used to these weirdos. Everyone travels through the group. Ben's working on supporting his sister while the soldier holds up Tommy, even if it makes his ankle throb and his back pulse with pain. The kid has way more than a throbbing ankle and bruising back to worry about and the other two are holding the only defense weapons the group has. Dean and Sammy lift their guns as the growling starts up once more.

"Looks like someone's home for supper," Dean pipes in.

"That, or simply dessert," the soldier shrugs casually. Dean looks back at him with a smirk and Sebastian returns it.


	4. Chapter 4: Helping Hand

**Part 4: Helping Hand**

"We'll never outrun it," Haley interrupts.

Dean looks at her, wheels turning in his mind. Everyone knows that's the truth, which makes it even more stressful. Dean looks back at Sammy before saying, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Growling starts up and Sammy fidgets on his feet.

Dean steps forward before looking at the crowd. "Alright, listen to me. Stay with Sam. He's gonna get you out of here."

The soldier quietly coughs as he realizes his mix up with _Sam's_ name. Everyone ignores it, thinking it's just because of the dust surrounding them.

"What are you gonna do?" Haley panics.

Dean simply winks at her before rushing ahead of the group. Everyone watches as he runs after the monster screaming, "It's chow time, you freakin' bastard! Yeah, that's right! Bring it on, baby! I taste good!" Before he completely disappears, he waves the group towards the opposite direction he's walking in. Everyone can hear Dean continuing to yell and the beast's growls as Sam starts to lead them out. The soldier adjusts his grip on Tommy as they limp out of the hall to follow Sam. As everyone is walking they notice the growling suddenly closer to them. Dean's plan isn't working, clearly.

Sam looks back at the group tagging him before nodding towards Tommy. "Get him out of here."

"Sam, no," Haley immediately protests. The soldier stays quiet as the two talk it out. He walks Tommy towards Haley, setting him in her grip. Everyone freezes up and looks at him as he pulls out his gun, casually counting the number of bullets he has left. 10.

"Well, that should do, I believe," he states as he puts his gun back in position. He grips it loosely as he looks back up at everyone.

"What are you doing?" Sam asks him, holding an incredulous stare.

"Helping."

"No, you're not. You're helping them get out of here," Sam demands.

"Look," he glares at Sam, "I didn't go to war for 11 years just to be told to run away when I'm needed most. I may not have fancy gear, but I can distract it long enough to do my job."

Everyone's quiet as they digest the information.

"Fine." Sam looks back at Haley, Ben, and Tommy. "Get out of here."

Haley huffs a little but starts walking her brothers out to the entrance. The soldier steps in front of them, making sure the beast doesn't manage to get outside to follow them.

"Follow my league," Sam orders. The soldier simply grunts as he searches for the Wendigo.

Despite his instructions, Sebastian doesn't follow Sam as the man presses his back against the wall and starts muttering to himself. Instead, the soldier stays put on the railroad and patiently listens for the beast with even breaths. As he's searching he notices the thing right in front of Sam's 'hiding' spot.

"Sam!" He yells out as Sam finally notices the Wendigo.

The thing screeches at him as Sam leaps away from the wall and aims his flair gun at it. He quickly shoots at it, missing the beast entirely. The flash momentarily blinds the soldier as he tries to find the beast again. Sam rushes back to the entrance and meets up with the group, rushing them out the doors. The soldier follows behind the group, facing the beast. He isn't going to waste his precious shots. It isn't close enough to cause panic, so he holds off his shots as he jogs backward, never taking his eyes away from his target.

Unfortunately, the group is lead to a dead-end and Sam's weapon is useless.

"Get behind me." Sam shoves the group behind him. The soldier stubbornly stands in front of the group, his gun poised for the ready. Right at the thing's eye. He knows that spot slows it down a little more, though as soon as he makes the shot the thing's gonna be pissed and run after him first. His own bullet, ironically, is going to lead to his death.

As soon as the thing takes a step closer to the cornered group, he lets out a bullet. The thing screeches as the group behind him jumps in worry. It growls louder, standing still and messing with its eye for about three minutes before it suddenly growls louder. It goes to leap at him, but mid-leap Dean shows up and shoots the thing right in the guts. The soldier watches as the thing slowly sets on fire, spreading from its guts and up. By the time its body hits the ground again, he was turned to a big ball of flames. Right by the soldier's feet.

Sebastian leaps back to avoid the flames, barely hearing Dean's, "Not bad, huh?"

Everyone just stands around for a moment, sharing smirks and staring at the flames. The soldier has different plans. He quickly marches away from the creature, walking towards the actual exit. Everyone soon follows behind him. Moments later, everyone is at the Ranger Station, thanks to Haley and Dean's cars. The soldier hiked a ride from Dean. Honestly, he would have just walked back to his house in the woods, but Sam insisted he got his ankle checked out by the ambulance, which probably meant he would need to fix up his back. So, the soldier tagged along. The ride was quiet and awkward, no one knew what to say as there were strangers within the car. So, everyone stayed silent.

When they reach the station, the ambulance is already there. Tommy's immediately placed on a stretcher and into an ambulance. Sebastian, Dean, and Haley get checked by doctors in separate trucks as Sam and Ben give their statement. Everyone agreed that the story was going to be about a huge grizzly bear attacking them. The doctors force the soldier to stay off his foot, which they encompass with bandages and some kind of healing gel. The rest of him just has a few scrapes and bandages, despite Sebastian being told he should have a cast on his spine. They also recognize the pattern of grotesque circles and scars across the soldier's body left behind from incidents during the war but never say anything. They simply make sure none of his stitches have reopened before abandoning him on the truck.


	5. Chapter 5: Old Comrades

**Part 5: Old Comrades **

Sebastian watches as Dean and Haley converse together; Haley fidgeting as Dean smirks down at her. Their moment is interrupted by a paramedic walking up to speak to them. After Haley answers, the soldier watches from afar as everyone gathers together for their goodbyes. He groans, not willing to get involved in the mushy talk. He slowly rolls off the ambulance, hopping over to another truck and then plopping down on the floor, leaning against the car's side. He laughs as the girl kisses Dean, whether that be on the cheek or the lips, Axel isn't sure the details. He continues to laugh as he watches the group separate, Haley and her brother walking into the ambulance. He isn't included in the heartwarming moment but he doesn't mind.

He doesn't notice that he gained Dean and Sam's attention. They watch as Sebastian chuckles, despite everything that's happened.

"Well, that takes some talent," Dean smirks as he watches Sebastian's body rake with laughs. He has no clue what the soldier is laughing about and Sebastian honestly forgot, but it feels good to laugh once more. It relieves him of so much stress, he actually feels alive for once. Dean looks away to watch the ambulance pack up to leave with Haley and Ben inside. Sam continues to watch the soldier. He feels as if the man is familiar to him, and Sebastian's background story is making things seem to click together. Sam knows the man from somewhere, he just doesn't know where.

"Man, I hate camping," Dean suddenly proclaims.

Sam doesn't take his eyes off of the soldier as Sebastian finally relaxes enough to stop laughing. Sam quietly responds, "Me too."

Dean and Sam watch as a paramedic walks towards the soldier, talking to him for a few moments. Based on the way the paramedic continues to point towards an extra truck, the brothers can tell they're trying to get Sebastian back into the truck. He simply waves them off, giving a friendly smile as he continues to get comfortable on the rocky pavement. The brothers shake their heads, rolling their eyes as they watch the man basically fall asleep on the floor. They make eye contact with each other before getting up, making their way towards him. However, they both pause when they see Deputy Ranger walking towards Sebastian.

"Hey, Sebastian," the man calls out. The brothers watch as Sebastian looks up at the man before struggling to get to his feet. The deputy doesn't offer a hand of assistance. "What happened to you knowing how to take care of yourself, and grizzlies?" The man chuckles, pointing at Sebastian as he finally manages to get to his feet. "The big bad bear did a number on you, huh?"

"Oh, you know it. Guess I was rustier than I seemed," Sebastian comments dryly. Sam is about to step in until the soldier speaks once more. "Oh, yeah, what happened to you doing your job?"

"What?" The Deputy steps closer to Sebastian. Sam walks over, standing next to the soldier to make sure nothing gets out of hand. As he goes to speak, Sebastian holds up his hand and interrupts.

"Yeah, you know? You always say your job is to make sure hikers stay safe. You know, find anyone that is thought missing and help protect campers away from animals such as- oh, I don't know - bears, possibly," he says with sarcastic thought. The deputy is silent before he stomps off without a word. "Fricking prick. I could beat your ass even with this darn foot and a torn spine," Sebastian mutters angrily, slowly lowering himself back to his resting spot.

Sam chuckles, watching Sebastian sit on the floor.

"What was that all about?" Dean asks as he plops down beside Sebastian.

"Oh, that darn deputy hates me. I built a house in this forest way before I joined the army. At that time, it was allowed. But, when I came back, that prick was telling me he owned the forest as business and he wanted me to sign papers that gave up my house and the land I owned. I refused, and we've hated each other ever since."

"Wait, when were you in the war?" Sam suddenly queers.

Axel looks up at him, "Why do ya ask?"

"Well, you remind me of someone I met once. I met him in the war, I was hoping you knew him."

"That depends, what'd he do to capture your attention?" Sebastian sits up a bit straighter, popping his back in the process.

"Well, he saved me," everyone stays silent, but Dean looks ready to explode. "He gave me his gas mask when I was caught without one in the middle of a gas attack. He was the main reason anyone actually passed that part of the fight, but he was sent to the hospital shortly after and never came back. I was wondering if you knew him? So, I could thank him," Sam stares straight at the soldier, not bothering with his sputtering brother.

Sam only joined the war for six months and he was only the soldiers' messenger boy. He did it to replace his hunting job but quit right after the incident with the gas mask. He was terrified of what he caused and what could've happened if that man wasn't so generous. He secretly kept the gas mask, going against army regulations so that he could have a reminder of what the man sacrificed for him.

Moments of silence pass before Sebastian shrugs. "Sorry, no idea who you're talking about."

Sam's shoulders sag a little, disappointment filling his gut. "Right, sorry. My mistake then."

Dean watches the soldier closely as Sebastian gives a short nod. Sebastian looks down, eyes connecting with one nasty scar that was left behind after a gas blister was removed from his skin. Dean's eyes narrow, catching the action and the meaning behind them. He doesn't say anything though, in turn for questioning his brother on when he thought it was a good idea to join the war. Sebastian is quiet, too caught up in his day-mares, as he likes to call his memories. Everything goes quiet for a moment. He glances up to see Dean analyzing his brother.

"Sam, you know we're going to find Dad, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Sam comments quietly. "But, in the meantime," a smirk grows on Sam's face, "I'm driving."

Everything is quiet. Sebastian can tell Dean is very hesitant about the idea. But, he eventually caves as he reaches into his pocket to grab his keys. The keys jingle as Dean grudgingly tosses them to Sam. The soldier lets out a strained chuckle, the sound reminding the boys of his presence.

"Hey, how do you plan on getting home?" Sam looks down at Sebastian from the car's open door.

"Ah, you know, probably a nice stroll. These old bones need some practice anyway," he waves them away, slowly standing to his feet. When he reaches his full height, only slightly taller than Sam, he gives them a lazy wave before making his way to the paved road in the forest.

The boys watch him go. Sam suddenly stares at Dean, resulting in Dean shrugging with his eyebrows raised. Sam just nods towards Sebastian's figure. Dean sighs, looking at his retreating, limping form.

"Hey, why don't you catch a ride with us? We've got plenty of room in Baby," Dean calls out.

Sebastian looks back, still moving forward. "Nah, I'm good. It's a beautiful night for a stroll," he smiles at them.

"Really? Even after you learned the dangers of what could be lurking in the dark?" Dean sasses, crossing his arms over his Baby's hood.

"Hey, I got a handy-dandy pistol for that," Axel pulls out his pistol and waves it in the air, slowly making his way up the mountain.

"Yeah, well, that won't always work. Plus, didn't the doctors tell you to stay off that foot?" Sam jumps in.

"Yeah. The same doctors told me I was bound to die five years ago. Yet, I'm still kicking!"

Dean looks at Sam. "Look, he's not gonna come along, let's get moving."

Sam's quiet for a while, watching as Sebastian marches up the hill. It's like his foot doesn't deter him at all. "Yeah, I think you're right. Let's move to the next destination."

The two brothers hop into the car, Sam starting the engine and quickly driving away from the Ranger Station and into the night roads. Sebastian turned to watch them go, standing alone on a mountain hill. He sighs, staring up at the sky.

"I knew you would grow to be something great, Little Mouse," he whispers to the sky. The stars twinkle back and he starts on his path again, following where his heart took him with the moon lighting his path.


End file.
